Safety & Health
A safety culture grounded in excellence.
In the refinery industry, HSSEQ stands for health, safety, security, environment and quality, a term under which we categorise all our activities designed to protect n people and the environment. ‘Safety’ refers to both occupational safety and plant safety.
A key component of our actions to promote a safety culture are HSSEQ days, when we train all our employees and raise their awareness of issues relating to the continuous improvement of safety and environmental concerns.
Because many of our partner firms for project work are active on the plant site, their employees’ participation in the HSSEQ days forms part of those companies’ contractual obligations.
TÜV shutdowns
All refinery installations are regularly inspected and serviced, and undergo ‘TÜV shutdowns’ every five years, when over 1,000 specialists subject every unit to minute examination.
During our daily operations readings are taken at 30,000 measuring points to monitor all relevant points of the plant and ensure that everything is running perfectly. Meanwhile, a sophisticated alarm system immediately detects any deviations. All pipelines are also monitored electronically and, if a malfunction occurs, the monitoring equipment can identify and locate a leak within seconds and to an accuracy of just a few metres, even in the underground pipelines.
Our culture
is based on security
Health, occupational, plant and informational safety
Our senior management team is committed to acting in a responsible and exemplary manner when it comes to health, safety and the environment and to serving as role models for all employees.
This role model function also applies to our demeanour with respect to local residents.We train our employees systematically and regularly on all relevant safety measures and our facilities are subjected to safety checks at specified intervals.
We consistently abide by the legal requirements on work, production and environmental safety in all divisions of the company and consider these the minimum standards to be followed.
We always work in accordance with the protection goals of information security confidentiality, integrity and availability. The correct and responsible handling of our information technology is our top priority.
Raffinerie Heide, from the Mission Statement
What should you do
if an incident occurs
As a company exposed to elevated risk we have a special duty to provide information in the event of an unfortunate incident. The safety of local residents is every bit as important to us as that of our employees.
A comprehensive brochure has been produced for our neighbours, providing information on what to do in an emergency.
Here is a brief overview of the most important points it covers:
- Warn your next-door neighbours and bring children indoors immediately.
- Close windows and doors.
- Listen out for loudspeaker announcements and switch the radio on.
- Do not block fire service, police and emergency response telephone lines by calling to request information.
- Keep away from the site of the incident.
- Help elderly and disabled people and offer temporary shelter to passers-by.
- Switch off air-conditioning and ventilation systems.
- Always follow the instructions of emergency personnel.
- Only make such calls in the event of a personal emergency – dial 110 (police) or 112 (fire service, rescue service and disaster response).
- Keep away from the site of the incident and leave roads and paths free for emergency personnel.
One more Tip:
In addition, you can receive short messages on your mobile phone via the public warning information services listed here:
Dates for inspections
Dates for inspections in accordance with
§ 16 Major Accidents Ordinance
According to the Major Accidents Ordinance, we are obliged to publish the dates of inspections by the State Mining Office for Mining, Energy and Geology (LBEG) and the State Office for Agriculture, Environment and Rural Areas (LLUR).
The following walk-throughs have taken place:
- 13.11.2023 LfU (former LLUR) and other authorities Raffinerie Heide
- 30.08.2023 LfU and other authorities Tank farm Brunsbüttel
- 24.08.2023 LBEG Butane cavern of the Raffinerie Heide
- 19.09.2022 LBEG Butane cavern of the Raffinerie Heide
- 26.04.2022 LLUR and other authorities Tank farm Brunsbüttel
- 20. and 21.04.2022 LLUR and other authorities Raffinerie Heide
- 21.10.2021 LBEG Butane cavern of the Raffinerie Heide
- 05.08.2021 LLUR Tank farm Brunsbüttel
- 09.03.2021 LLUR Raffinerie Heide
- 27.10.2020 LBEG Butane cavern of the Raffinerie Heide
- 21.10.2020 LLUR Tank farm Brunsbüttel
- 11. und 12.03.2020 LLUR Raffinerie Heide
- 23.10.2019 LLUR Raffinerie Heide
- 19.06.2019 LBEG Butane cavern of the Raffinerie Heide
- 25.04.2019 LLUR Tank farm Brunsbüttel
- 18. und 19.09.2018 LLUR Raffinerie Heide
- 26.06.2018 LBEG Butan cavern of the Raffinerie Heide
- 25.04.2018 LLUR Tank farm Brunsbüttel
- 11. und 12.09.2017 LLUR Raffinerie Heide
- 29.06.2017 LBEG Butan cavern of the Raffinerie Heide
- 16.05.2017 LLUR Tank farm Brunsbüttel